Amnesty International‘s Write for Rights campaign takes place each year around December 10, Human Rights Day, when the date on which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 is commemorated. The objective of the campaign is achieve a change in the lives of people or communities that have suffered human rights violations or are at risk of suffering them.
About 20 years ago, a small group of activists in Poland organized a 24-hour letter-writing and letter-writing marathon. Over the next few years, the idea expanded. Today, Write for Rights is the largest human rights event in the world.
From the 2,326 letters in 2001 to the more than 6 million letters, tweets, petition signatures and other actions taken in 2023, people around the world have used the power of words to unite around the idea that geography It does not represent any obstacle to solidarity. In 2023 alone, more than 1.4 million people participated in human rights education activities. Over the years, their joint action has helped change the lives of more than 100 people and freed them from torture, harassment or unjust imprisonment.
The human rights education kit for this year’s Write for Rights campaign helps educators and participants gain greater understanding and solidarity, preparing them to take action. These human rights education activities can be carried out in different contexts, such as a classroom, a community group, a family or a group of activists. Since you are the person facilitating the activity, you can adapt it as you see fit to the needs and context of the group you are going to work with. For example, it is advisable to consider the knowledge that the group already has about the issues that are going to be discussed, the size and age range of the group, the best way to organize the activity to encourage active participation, the location where it will be held. develop the activity, whether it will be in person or online, and any other type of limitation that may arise. When participants want to take action on a case, discuss with them whether or not it is safe to do so.
All activities are based on participatory learning methods that are not limited to presenting information to participants, but rather encourage them to explore, debate, analyze and question the issues raised in the stories they will work with in each activity. This methodology allows those who participate:
- develop key competencies and skills
- form their own opinions, ask questions and better understand the issues being raised
- take control of their learning and shape discussions based on their interests, abilities and concerns
- have the space that they need to become emotionally involved and develop their own attitudes
